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How to use the tool
- Program Name
• “Clean Water Access Plan”
• “Digital Literacy for Seniors”
Enter a short, descriptive title. - Program Objectives
• “Install 20 solar-powered wells in rural schools.”
• “Teach 500 adults to navigate e-government portals.”
State measurable goals in one or two sentences. - Program Duration
• “14 months”
• “3 years”
Indicate the full implementation timeline. - Total Budget (USD) — optional
• 275 000
• 1 200 000
Provide an estimate or leave blank for auto-calculation. - Key Personnel Roles — optional
• Field Engineer, Community Liaison, M&E Officer
• Curriculum Designer, Volunteer Coordinator, Finance Manager
List one role per line; the generator allocates salaries automatically. - Click Generate Budget Breakdown. The results panel reveals categorized costs and justifications you can copy to any document.
Quick Facts
- Typical personnel costs absorb 50–70 % of non-profit project budgets (Charity Navigator, 2023).
- USAID caps indirect cost recovery at 15 % for most cooperative agreements (USAID ADS 303, 2022).
- Average grant review time drops by 20 % when budgets include clear justifications (Grant Professionals Association, 2021).
- The PMI “PMBOK Guide” lists budgeting as one of five core planning processes (PMI, 2021).
FAQ
What does the generator actually produce?
The tool outputs a line-item budget covering personnel, equipment, travel, supplies, and indirect costs, each with a one-sentence justification aligned to your objectives (PMI, 2021).
Can I edit the breakdown after generation?
Yes. Copy the text, paste it into Word or Google Docs, and adjust figures or descriptions to match updated quotes or funder requirements.
How accurate are the cost estimates?
The server relies on sector benchmarks from databases such as USAID and World Bank price guides; adjust values with local quotes for precision (World Bank, 2022).
Does leaving “Total Budget” blank cause issues?
No. The engine calculates a provisional total by summing category estimates, helping you set a realistic funding target.
Is the tool suitable for corporate CSR projects?
Absolutely. CSR teams can map volunteer time as in-kind labor and add material costs to satisfy ESG reporting frameworks (KPMG ESG Survey, 2022).
How is overhead handled?
The generator applies a default 10 % indirect rate, editable in the returned text to match your organization’s negotiated rate (USAID ADS 303, 2022).
Can I justify capital purchases like vehicles?
Yes. The output includes capital assets under “Equipment,” citing how each asset advances program goals—for example, a refrigerated truck for vaccine transport.
What format works best for grant portals?
Most portals accept plain text or pasted Word content; the copied breakdown preserves headings and bullet lists that pass formatting checks on Grants.gov (Grants.gov FAQ, 2023).
Important Disclaimer
The calculations, results, and content provided by our tools are not guaranteed to be accurate, complete, or reliable. Users are responsible for verifying and interpreting the results. Our content and tools may contain errors, biases, or inconsistencies. We reserve the right to save inputs and outputs from our tools for the purposes of error debugging, bias identification, and performance improvement. External companies providing AI models used in our tools may also save and process data in accordance with their own policies. By using our tools, you consent to this data collection and processing. We reserve the right to limit the usage of our tools based on current usability factors. By using our tools, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to this disclaimer. You accept the inherent risks and limitations associated with the use of our tools and services.
